FIRST WORD
If you wish to see perfection as a running back, you had best get a hold of a film of Gale Sayers. He was poetry in motion. His like will never be seen again.”
Bears founder George Halas in 1977 about Hall of Fame RB Gale Sayers, who has died at age 77, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Wednesday. Sayers’ family announced in 2017 he had been battling dementia since 2013. Nicknamed the “Kansas Comet,” Sayers was the Hall’s youngest inductee at 34. Sayers’ legacy was cemented in seven seasons (1965-71). His career ended after 68 games due to knee injuries. He nonetheless became one of the sport’s most explosive running back, earning rookie of the year in 1965 and four Pro Bowl selections in his first five seasons. He was taken by Chicago with the fourth pick overall in 1965.